Cornhole Rivalries
Rivalries are one of the best parts of sports, or Hell, life in general. Yankees vs Red Sox, Ohio State vs Michigan, Ali vs Frazier, Bird vs Magic, Pepsi vs Coke, Kerrigan vs Harding, Ford vs Chevy…the list goes on! A recent moment, following the PGA championships, gave us one of the great eye roll memes of this generation, when Brooks Koepka rolled those eyes after Bryson DeChambeau walked by muttering something just loud enough to get a rise out of Brooks. This recent gem got me thinking….
What are the best Rivalries in Cornhole??
Guy/Graham vs Hissner/Henderson
A new Rivalry has blossomed this season between these two top ranked Doubles teams. It is well known that Hissner/Henderson love to play mental games with opponents. Guy/Graham were going to have a target on their backs this season and to this point they have handled this increased pressure well. The rivalry started at the ACL Bag Brawl, the organization’s third National event. Earlier in the day, Hissner/Henderson faced off against Bret Guy/Erick Davis for a chance to reach the final 4. Hissner could be heard, saying quite audibly, “NOPE” as his bags approached the hole and slipped in; a way to play mind games with his opponent. Fast forward to when Guy/Graham faced off against Hissner/Henderson in the finals of the doubles competition. Hissner and Matt Guy were throwing against each other and as the match started to come to a close, with his second bag, Matt guy yelled (behind his mask) “NOPE” as he then splashed the bag in the freaking hole. Apparently Matt Guy had heard the chatter earlier and didn’t much appreciate the shit talk towards his son. Matt Guy goes full papa bear and a big ole “NOPE!” rips after his final two bags as well!! Not to be out done, if you listen closely, Hissner has a zinger of his own. After Matt drains the third bag, and all but ends Hissner/Henderson from wining the match, Hissner can be heard saying “I am surprised that didn’t go off the back” (alluding to Matt Guy’s singles performance from earlier in the day where he put his last two bags off the back of the board, then losing to Daymon Dennis). I LOVE THIS!! Cornhole needs this! The banter back and forth was amazing! Whether or not this will carry over the rest of the season remains to be seen. I just can’t help to think that, given the opportunity, Hissner would love to “retaliate” with a few more “NOPES!” Who would have thought Cody would be the innocent one here?!?!?
Sorrells vs Bathroom Breaks
Who doesn’t love a little drama?!? This “rivalry” goes back to what is now famously known as “POOPGATE 2020”, which occurred at the Myrtle Beach open in December of 2020. Matthew “Short Shorts” Sorrells, was scheduled to face off against Jamie Graham in a singles match. Per several reports, Graham had texted Sorrells letting him know he was going to the bathroom and would be there ASAP. Listen, we have all been there. Nothing is worse than a case of the shits in the middle of an event. Who knows, maybe the shit was being shy and just didn’t want to come out….regardless, it seems Graham did his best to hurry the process along and had texted Matthew to avoid any repercussions. Apparently, Sorrells gives ZERO fucks about upset tummies. This kid is in it to win it. Win by forfeit?!? Why the fuck not (not my style…but hey)?!?! Sorrells called the director, Graham didn’t show up soon enough, and the forfeit was enforced. Sorrells advanced and ended up taking 2nd in the event…Graham took 7th. Sorrells should get a national sponsorship from Pepto Bismol after this…seriously…get the kid in a pink jersey ASAP because he could care less if his opponent is affected by nausea, heartburn, indigestion, an upset stomach or diarrhea.
Trevor Brooks vs Backpacks
It has been established that we here at Hard Drag push are HUGE Trevor Brooks fans. We think the swagger he brings to the game is must watch stuff! At an open event, earlier this season, apparently Trevor had some beef with a particular popular player’s backpack. Seen in the background of a live stream, you can see Trevor absolutely boot the FUCK out of this, seemingly, innocent bag. Maybe the bag looked at him funny? Maybe the bag was talking a little shit? Who knows?? All we know is that Trevor is on his comeback tour, so hide your backpacks, especially your sweet custom Bags Board backpack…..you have been warned.
Daymon Dennis vs Senior players
At what point do you call it unfair? I mean the rest of the senior players have to be pretty sick and tired of watching ole steady Eddie down the middle, Daymon Dennis (legitimately the nicest human), win, seemingly every event. I mean my God, the dude won like 87 senior events in a row. Now I know he has been beaten, but seriously all the other Murder She Wrote fans are playing for second place. And the fact that he is performing at such a high level in pro singles has to be even more demoralizing for the over the hill gang....or, perhaps they enjoy being knocked out in time for the Early Bird Special!
Stacey Moore vs Frank Geers
Now this is a juicy little rivalry. At this point in time I’m not sure they’d fight in the same weight class (take this how you will), but these titans are the faces of the two most popular Cornhole systems. I don’t pretend to know their entire “E true Hollywood Story”, but we can all read between the lines. ACL players can’t play in ACO events (I secretly love when ACO players come over and perform really well or even win…see Tanner Halbert). For the longest time, it was the ACO that required their players to used stamped bags, a policy the ACL has since adopted. These two commissioners are battling out for the hearts and minds of the Cornhole community. If I’m being honest...Stacey is leading the judge’s scorecards. He’s trending up. ESPN and CBS contracts are a BIG deal for the future growth of the game. Now Geers and crew have been around longer, does a great job building a family atmosphere and has “Major” events every freaking weekend. Stacey has Trey Ryder. Frank has Katherine Halbert. ACL has Brian Schram (kickass new album now available!!)...ACO has Max Geers (seriously hoping this kid doesn’t do another cringy Dogcast interview…and don’t give me shit you were thinking the same fucking thing)…you can all decide this one
Reynolds Bags vs Other Carpet bags
There is just something iconic about the Reynolds logo. That script writing with the crown over top....a subtle reminder to competitors who the current king of bags is. The recent trend of bag manufacturers making their own “carpet bags” has the always silent Reynolds crew in a bit of a huff. Passive aggressive comments can be seen sprinkled among various Cornhole posts on a Facebook, made by members of the Reynolds crew. The new carpet bags, made by companies other than Reynolds, aren’t going anywhere! So as time goes on, it’ll be interesting to see if Reynolds can retain that Crown
Obviously there are many “old school” rivalries we could have mentioned. Personally, I’d love to start seeing new player/team rivalries pop up. It adds something to the game (gives me something to write about if I’m being honest). The last thing Cornhole needs is to turn into golf....we need characters...we need passion...we need individuals who aren’t afraid of flirting with the proverbial line. Rivalries would help and they are fun! Let us know who or what are the best rivalries in the sport! You can find us on Facebook (@hard drag push network) or Twitter @HardDragPush.
As always, I hope you throw it straight, and it’s nothing but four baggers from here on out! NOPE!!
